Psychological and behavioral functioning in adolescent psychiatric inpatients who report histories of childhood abuse

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine psychological and behav ioral functioning in psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents who report hi stories of childhood abuse. Method: Three hundred twenty-two subjects compl eted an assessment battery of psychometrically well-established instruments . Childhood abuse was assessed by using the childhood abuse scale of the Mi llon Adolescent Clinical Inventory. Childhood abuse scores of 30 or less an d 70 or greater were used to create two study groups-no abuse (N=93) and hi gh abuse (N=70), respectively. The two study groups were compared demograph ically and on the battery of instruments. Results: The two groups differed substantially on most measures of psychological disturbance examined by the assessment battery. When age and depression level were controlled, the hig h-abuse group was characterized by significantly higher levels of dependenc y, suicidality, violence, impulsivity, substance use problems, and borderli ne tendency. Correlational analyses with the entire study group (N=322) rev ealed that higher levels of these psychological problems were positively as sociated with higher levels of childhood abuse. Conclusions: Psychiatricall y hospitalized adolescents who report childhood abuse present with a conste llation of symptoms that, after removing the effects of depression, are con sistent with borderline personality in statu nascendi.